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Templar Order
Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him. - Transfigurations 1:2 The Templar Order is a military order of the Chantry that, amongst their duties, hunts apostates and maleficars and watches over the mages from the Circle of Magi. While they are officially deemed a force of defenders by the Chantry, established to protect the communities of the faithful from magical threats, they are in fact an army unto themselves; well-equipped, highly disciplined and devoted to the destruction of non-believers in the name of the Maker. One of their most important tasks occurs during a mage's Harrowing. During this, a templar watches over the body of the mage, ready to kill him or her if demonic possession occurs. To help them control mages, templars have the ability to dispel magic and to inhibit spellcasting. A group of templars is led by a Knight-Commander and each Circle and the majority of chantries in Thedas are assigned one. Templars are also responsible for tracking fugitive mages, which they are able to accomplish when a phylactery has been taken from their quarry. As they see it, they protect the innocents of the outside world from magic… but they also protect mages from the outside world, a world that fears them for very good reasons. It is a templar’s place to watch their charges for signs of weakness or corruption, and should they find it to act without hesitation for the good of all. That this occasionally leads to charges of tyranny and abuse is, according to the Chantry, a price that must be paid for the security the templars offer. Some are saying, however, that this needs to change. They remind the world that mages are not controlled by templars everywhere in Thedas: not among the Rivaini witches, the Dalish keepers or the Tevinter magisters… and those societies are, arguably, no worse off. The Templar Order, however, is nothing if not certain of its role. From the glittering White Spire in Val Royeaux the Knight-Vigilant commands the templars to serve the Maker’s will and keep the peace. By the common folk they are seen as self-sacrificing men and women, vigilant warriors that form the first line of defense between humanity and the chaos that once ruled the land during the old Imperium. To the mages they are often seen as oppressors, even well-meaning ones, and the gap between them is growing larger with each passing year. Templars also have access to the Right of Annulment. The Right of Annulment gives the Templars the right to "pacify" or kill all mages in the tower. This would be used in the event that total chaos was unleashed by the mages and there is no chance that they could be saved. The History of The Order Most people don’t remember the Templar Order as it once was. In the days when the Chantry was still young, templars were known as the “Inquisition” and combed the land in search of all dangers to humanity—whether they came in the form of blood mages, abominations, cultists or heretics. It was a dark and terrifying time in the history of Thedas, and one that only ended when the Chantry convinced the Inquisition to unite under the banner of their common faith. The name of their order changed, and their purpose became that of guardian and warden rather than hunter. Templars in Thedas While mages often resent the templars as symbols of the Chantry's control over magic, the people of Thedas see them as saviors and holy warriors, champions of all that is good armed with piety enough to protect the world from the ravages of foul magic. In reality, the Chantry's militant arm looks first for skilled warriors with unshakable faith in the Maker, with a flawless moral center as a secondary concern. Templars must carry out their duty with an emotional distance, and the Order of Templars would rather have soldiers with religious fervor and absolute loyalty than paragons of virtue who might question orders when it comes time to make difficult choices. It is this sense of ruthless piety that most frightens mages when they get the templars' attention: when the templars are sent to eliminate a possible blood mage, there is no reasoning with them, and if the templars are prepared the mage's magic is often useless. Driven by their faith, the templars are one of the most feared and respected forces in Thedas. The Order is composed of numerous branches, each of them centered around a specific community or region they are assigned to defend and monitor. Each of these chapters is ultimately led by a Knight-Commander, who in turn answers to the head of the local chantry, often a Grand Cleric, depending on the region in question. The size and strength of each branch also differs, depending on the community they serve or their specific mandate. For example, the templars present in Lothering are few in number, and may in fact be a smaller unit within a larger chapter. Meanwhile, the templars assigned to watch over the Circle of Magi at Lake Calenhad are much more powerful, while the chapter in Kirkwall is considered to be a major power in the city, and perhaps the true source of power and authority governing the port. Templars go through a rigourous process of recruitment and indoctrination, often in monastic refuges segregated from everyday society. While the majority of their members are male, some female templars do exist, having chosen to serve the Maker as a defender of the faith rather than a spiritual guide for the community. Templars are also forbidden from marrying or raising children, there are some exceptions, though it is unknown whether this is the result of special circumstances, regional differences or the disobedience of some members. Templars in the Tevinter Imperium In Dragon Age II, Fenris can be asked about the Tevinter Imperium. He mentions the Imperial Chantries have their own Templars who step in when mages go too far. However, he also mentions that the Magisters wield considerable political influence over the Tevinter Templars, although he does not give specifics of how powerful the Magisters' influence is. Lyrium Addiction All templars are also addicted to lyrium, which is officially used to help develop their anti-mage skills and unofficially used as a control mechanism by the Chantry. A lack of lyrium causes the templar to lose touch with reality and suffer from delusions. It is confirmed that lyrium does have effective benefits for Templars, as it builds a resistance to magic in them over time, as well as increasing the effectiveness of their holy abilities, such as being able to shut off a mage's abilities entirely. Some people think that Templars are conditioned to be dependent on this mineral for its attributes, that the Chantry knows of its addictiveness and uses lyrium to control the Templar order. Whether this is coincidence or not, it remains to be seen. Notable Templars in Origins *Alistair is a former templar-in-training. *Cullen *Knight-Commander Greagoir *Knight-Commander Tavish *Knight-Commander Harrith *Ser Bryant *Ser Henric *Ser Otto *Irminric *Carroll *Rylock *Hadley Notable Templars in Dragon Age II *Knight-Commander Meredith *Knight-Captain Cullen *Carver (If not present at the Deep Roads expedition) *Emeric *Thrask *Wesley *Keran *Ser Varnell *Ser Otto Alrik Category:Chantry Category:Groups Category:Templars